1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a moveable switch panel for activating vehicle accessories, and more particularly, to a moveable switch panel utilizing common switch elements that are reconfigurable for dual functionality based on the position of the moveable switch panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicle accessory input controls typically consist of a plurality of buttons, knobs, or menu driven display screens located on an instrument panel within the passenger compartment of a vehicle for controlling accessories such as multimedia, navigation, and climate control systems. Often the center console area of the instrument panel is cluttered with a large number single push button switches to control as many of the vehicle accessory functions as possible. Numerous amounts of switches are often aesthetically displeasing to a user. The more switches required to provide the ever increasing accessory functionality, the smaller the size each switch becomes in order to package them in the available space. Generally a user desires larger size switches in an uncluttered center console area.
Reconfigurable display units have been utilized to overcome the cluttered appearance of the center console area. Reconfigurable display units utilize either display screens or touch screens with menu driven options. The number of switches can be greatly decreased with the utilization of only a few switches to control the menu driven options. However, complicated menu structures are cumbersome to use because the user is required to transition through several menu screens in order to get to the desired function. Simple operation is desired to avoid a distraction to the driver operating the vehicle accessories.